00:00All eyes are on Kuala Lumpur this week as Southeast Asia's top diplomats
00:04descend on the city for the 58th ASEAN Foreign Minister's Meeting and related meetings.
00:10Foreign ministers from all 10 ASEAN nations will be here from the 8th to the 11th of July.
00:16Their global partners too join them, from China to Brazil.
00:20Even the US will be here in their Secretary of State, Marco Rubio's first visit to Asia.
00:25Contrary to the naysayers, this is not just a regional affair.
00:31Here, Southeast Asia has the opportunity to meet the world.
00:36On the agenda are key issues, regional security, economic ties, climate resilience and human rights.
00:44Key moments to look forward to include, firstly, the ASEAN interface with the Human Rights Commission,
00:50secondly, discussions on the Southeast Asia nuclear weapon-free zone
00:54and thirdly, a series of high-level bilaterals and trilaterals.
00:59This year's theme, balance.
01:01ASEAN must juggle big power tensions, deepen economic links and stay at the centre of it all
01:07in a world that's shifting fast.
01:10The regional optics are also complicated, right, by the Thai-Cambodian border tensions
01:16and the suspension of the Prime Minister.
01:18So, while this is really a bilateral matter, it seems,
01:22I think it also draws attention away from Malaysia's core chairmanship theme
01:28of inclusivity and sustainability.
01:31Malaysia's immediate priority will be to maintain the procedural calm and escalation
01:37and ensure that the ASEAN ministerial meeting proceeds with the minimal disruption possible.
01:43The 58th AMM is more than a summit.
01:46It's where ASEAN listens, negotiates and leads quietly but decisively from the heart of Southeast Asia.
01:55Actually, one of the outcomes coming from this summit is also a document
02:01that will be adopted by the ASEAN foreign ministers on enhancing relations with external partners.
02:07Join us as we follow the regional decision-making apparatus here at FMT.
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